


Late Summer

by BlackMajjicDuchess



Series: Namesake [8]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Anxiety, Carpe Diem, Death, F/M, Napping, Regret, The Pursuit of Happiness, War Era, Worry, Young Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-01
Updated: 2014-04-01
Packaged: 2018-01-17 20:08:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,883
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1400836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackMajjicDuchess/pseuds/BlackMajjicDuchess
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I got the idea in my head one day to bring some of the Naruto characters face-to-face with the thing they were named after for the first time. I thought it might be fun. Also accepting challenges!</p><p>Stories will be posted separately but as part of the Namesake series.</p><p>Part 8: Late Summer</p><p>Koharu is anxious about the coming war. Homura relays some advice from his sensei to ease her worry.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Late Summer

**Author's Note:**

  * For [grassyhyuuga](https://archiveofourown.org/users/grassyhyuuga/gifts).



> To issue a challenge, just comment on one of the stories in the series with the name you'd like to see done. The only stipulation is that it HAS to be a name that has a meaning, and it has to be a meaning that is something one can encounter. Example: Madara means "spots." What the heck am I supposed to do with that? On the other hand, Naruto's name refers to some kind of fish cake, which is something he could confront somehow.
> 
> Koharu Utatane challenge from grassyhyuuga
> 
> Koharu = Late Summer  
> Utatane = Nap

She found him right where she expected to, cradled in the branches of his favorite tree. It was just a boring old oak tree, but it was right on the meridian between the apple and cherry orchards, and it was his favorite spot when the trees were in bloom. At any point during the late spring and throughout the summer, it was a sweet spot to catch a nap and entertain dreams fueled by the fragrance of the blossoms. Half of her wanted to be irritated that she always had to track him down when she needed him, but the other half of her was at least pleased that he was predictable. It made him a solid anchor in an otherwise chaotic world.

She and her teammates had been a part of the first crop of Shinobi to have been ushered through the newly instituted training facility. They should have been the most prepared of any youth in the history of warfare for what was to come. They had been trained by experienced veterans in all of the basics of survival, chakra control, and traps, as well as hand to hand combat and weaponry. Truthfully, they had more experience than anyone nearly twice their age, having been taught by the military brains that had been leading their armies for decades. She should feel proud to have been among the first to be on the fast track to success. If ninja school were an academic’s pursuit instead of a warrior’s, she might have been considered the valedictorian.

So why, when she was as properly prepared as any ninja could be, was she so terrified?

Tomorrow, Homura, Hiruzen, and she were to be shipped off to the first world war since the peace treaty had been signed between Senju and Uchiha. Despite their preparedness, Tobirama had insisted that the newly minted genin teams were to be kept off the front lines and as far out of harm’s way as possible. It had been his brother’s dream to keep the young and innocent from being the first to die. They probably wouldn’t be in any danger at all.

And yet… the promise of death—of anyone’s death—abhorred her. She wanted nothing to do with this war. She had trained with gusto to be among the village’s protectors; if Konoha was invaded, she wanted to be there to defend her home. She hadn’t imagined that killers from all countries would mesh together upon an open battlefield over misunderstandings and bloodthirst, where it was difficult to distinguish friend from foe, hear your comrades shout for backup, or ignore the shrieks of dying and the crack of breaking armor.

She needed reassurance, and for that she had come here. Homura was the most collected person she had ever met. He was never scared, never angered, and never frustrated. He had studied alongside her in class, carefully taking notes and internalizing every lesson. He had worked through his combat forms with the concentration of an artist. His execution was flawless. As much effort as he poured into his study, though, Homura allotted an equal amount for his down time. He believed that stress management was just as important as hard work. “If your nerves are frayed in here,” he’d say, pointing to his heart, “how can you keep a cool head out there?” He meant the battlefield. She hadn’t quite understood what he meant at the time, but now that she was dreading the advent of a war and afraid for her life, she had begun to get his meaning. This morning she had tried to toast her banana instead of her bread and torn her bread instead of peeling the banana. She’d blinked at the mess she had made in her kitchen, and unexpectedly broke down into tears. She wasn’t ready for this.

She gathered chakra to the bottoms of her feet and walked up his tree. It was one of her favorite uses for chakra; there was nowhere now that she could not go, unless she dreamed of flying. She sat near him with her back to the trunk. If he scooted back a foot or so, his head would be right in her lap. Wryly, she thought that he might like that. “Homura,” she beckoned softly, poking his forehead.

He blinked open one eye, unobscured by his glasses. He hung them on a string when he was napping so that he didn’t crumple them. He saw passably well without them, but his vision was sharper with them, so he always wore them when he was on duty. He smirked when he saw her. “Is this a date then?”

She smacked him gently on the top of the head. It was a long running argument between they two, and she gave him the same answer as she always did. “I’m already married, you good for nothing buffoon.”

“Are not,” he responded with a snort.

He was technically correct, but the argument stopped there. She had told him on numerous occasions that she had no time for dating, no room in her heart for any man. Her heart and soul already belonged to Konohagakure. She had thrown all of her attentions into ensuring its prosperity and the future of its citizens. Someday, she hoped to be its first female Hokage. Konoha deserved her undivided attention, and all of the villagers would be her children. There was nothing in the world she wanted as much as that, not even a husband and family. Homura was good-natured and handsome; he’d find someone else.

“I don’t want to die,” she confessed, looking away, changing the subject.

“You won’t,” he responded immediately.

“How can you be so sure?”

He shut his eyes, inhaled a deep breath of the perfumed air and let it all out in a sigh. “Isn’t the weather wonderful? This village was the best idea that anyone ever had. Ever, in the world.”

She rolled her eyes. “Do you ever take anything seriously?”

His smile fled, both eyes blinking back open. “Koharu… I take everything seriously. It was Tobirama-sensei who commanded me to live life to the fullest.”

She looked at him. “Tobirama-sensei said that?” she asked doubtfully. Her usually stern sensei seldom demonstrated any kind of optimism. She had rarely seen the man smile; war was a serious topic with him, as it should be. He and his brother had been alive during the worst of it, and he only wanted for them to be prepared for whatever horrors awaited them out there.

“Yes,” he answered softly. “He looked at me and said, ‘Homura, you’re in a period of your life that the veterans call the ‘late summer.’ It is the time of your life right before you willingly march toward a situation that might result in your death. The last hurrah, so to speak.’”

She felt a pang of fear at his words. If Tobirama was preparing Homura for his possible death, then it was worse than she thought. Homura seemed to sense her distress. He dragged his body out of the crook of his branches and seated himself across from her so that they were both straddling the same branch. “He said, ‘This is the time of your life that you appreciate the most. This is when life is most beautiful. The flowers will never smell so wonderful. Music will never sound any sweeter. Food will never again taste so good. Live… laugh… love...”

He leaned in, and Koharu realized his intentions. She hadn’t come here for that, though. She had come so that he could ease her fears about the war, not so he could try to steal another kiss from her. She turned her face away. “Forget it, Homura,” she grumbled at him.

He was not to be swayed this time, though. Apparently he had reached his limit on patience. He swept in, capturing her lips, and she found herself not resisting, and let herself be kissed. It was a strange sensation, and not at all as she had imagined it, stolen from an amorous teammate the eve of what might have been her dying day. When he broke it, he whispered. “We could die, tomorrow, Koharu. I’ll accept that you won’t ever love me, but I couldn’t die without doing that, even once.”

She gathered her wits about her again and calmed her fleeting heart. She hoped her voice did not shake when she spoke. “Yeah, well… don’t get used to it,” she rushed out, crossing her arms and lifting her chin petulantly.

He smiled at her. “I won’t. Pretend it never happened, if it makes you feel better.” He paused. “I feel better anyway. What can I do for you to make you feel better? You know… about tomorrow?”

She cracked open one eye lid and peeked at him. He was so… confident, in everything. She wished she shared even half of his resolve. “How do you do it?” she asked, all of the fight and vim draining right out of her. Neither of them had even been fazed by the kiss. He had planned to do that for a long time now, and she had been expecting it about as long.

He shrugged. “People die every day. Some die in battle, true, but still others die for any number of reasons. You can get sick, be involved in an accident… did you know that three people died when Konoha was being built, just because things fell on them?” She shook her head, unsure where this was going. He smiled. “All men must die, eventually. If we obsess about when and how we’re going to go, we’ll never enjoy anything about life. Death is going to happen. It will probably be pretty quick, and then you’ll never know its feel again. But life…” He trailed off, exulting in the philosophy of it. “Life you can feel--really feel--over and over again. That’s why I come here all the time. The smell of the earth and the flowers, the warmth of the sun and the birdsong… it never gets old.” He gave her a devilish smirk. “I could kiss you every day, Koharu, and never tire of it. But I can only die once.” He shrugged again, looking out toward the orchards in full bloom. “So I live a life without regret. I’m never going to get to avoid dying no matter what I do, but I can make sure that I don’t avoid living. You know?”

She thought about it. Really thought about it. He did make sense. And the zing that had thrilled its way through her bloodstream when his lips connected with hers had a certain power to it, too. Perhaps he was right. “Late summer, huh?” she mused aloud, a smile playing at her lips. He peeked at her out of the corner of one eye, but she hardly noticed. She dropped from the tree, landing lightly on her toes, and began walking away.

“Where are you going?” he asked, his tone rising sharply. “I thought we could stay like this, just for today!”

He sounded so hopeful that Koharu let him suffer for a moment before she responded. She stopped walking and peered over her shoulder. “Aren’t you coming? Or am I going on this date myself?”

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> This was a tough one to interpret, so I consulted google. I googled "Late Summer," and the thing that struck me most deeply was the summary for a movie called "Late Summer Blues," which was about a bunch of Israeli kids experiencing their last summer before deployment. That sounded appropriate, and like something I could work with, so that's what happened. 
> 
> Still not a big fan of these characters, but I liked them enough to complete the challenge for the time that we were together. ^_^ Thanks for the challenge, grassyhyuuga! I think this was my hardest one yet!


End file.
